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It wasn't that Loki didn't like the students at the college. It wasn't that Loki didn't like his profession. It was just that fact that some of the students that passed as mages these days were just so...so...

Not Mage-Worthly. Atleast, the weren't in Loki's eyes. Some of the students here couldn't produce a single spell. The struggled with ever spell, every incantation, and every body movement that was required to effectively exert power and magic. There wasn't a hint of magical blood in them. No signs of power. Loki remembered not being able to control his magic, and having the power escape him when he was angry. But nothing the Apprentice did could get a magical response out of these pupils. Loki sighed through his nose. He leaned back in his desk chair and began rubbing his temples. One of the Professors had charged Loki with tutoring these young helpless students. They had charged him, Loki Roseblood, with being a tutor to these lowlifes who couldn't even think straight enough to become a Mage. The Thaumaturge sighed, and opened his eyes. The emerald green orbs stared intently into his desk, before he opened his mouth.

"You may go, Flemmins. Obviously you haven't enough patience in you conjure a snowflake. An Ice Mage is guided by patience, by security. It is only then they can conjure something great, something powerful." Loki lifted his head to glare at the boy who stood across from him, quivering.

"You are dismissed." Loki murmured quietly. The air was deathly still. The young Thaumaturge, Flemmins, trembled. "B-But sir," the boy began. "Professor Keene said you would help me. He said you would tutor me. He said-"

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose. His voice was deathly quiet as he spoke. "Do you think I care what Professor Keene said? I told you that you were dismissed...GO!" Loki ordered. And the boy quickly exited the office.

Loki stood up from behind his desk, grabbed his staff, and strode toward the door to the corridors. His black robes flew behind him as he moved. It was late. Very late. Why had Loki let Flemmins keep him so long? Loki believed that the boy had some potential, oh yes. But not, he was afraid, as a Thaumaturge. Loki shook his head. He wanted to be a Professor. Not a young man that tutored the helpless, for pity's sake. This was not what he signed up for when he chose to be an apprentice. Every other Professor was asleep, dreaming beautiful dreams. And what was Loki doing? Cleaning up the mess that the arrogant teachers of this school left behind. The mess no one else was willing to clean up. Loki ran a hand through his hair.

His footsteps were loud, and echoed trough the empty halls. In the dark, most College wanderers could easily get lost. But Loki knew what he was doing. This College was his home. He knew every square inch of it. Within minutes, he arrived at the front of the college. He quickly opened the great oak doors, and slid out. Right. He would not be tutoring anymore students today, or the next day, or the day after that.

Loki needed to get away.

The Mage ran into the forest. He easily found a hollowed out oak tree. Hidden in the roots was a green rutsack, full of everything Loki needed. Food, supplies, everything. The elf had been planning an escape from the College for days now. And now he was ready. Loki glanced up at the sky, where the stars peered down upon him. His horse was in the stables...There would be no ferry service in the dead of the night.

Loki scowled. Of course. He hadn't thought his plan through. Loki would've spent the whole night trying to come up with a logical way to get off the island, if not for the cracking of a breaking branch behind him. The elf blinked once, and turned to face the creature, who in the dark, could not be recognized. Loki's face was cold and unmoving. His eyes were hard. And his staff was pointed straight at the creature hidden in the shadows.

She really needed to start tying herself down before she went to bed at night. No joke.

This has happened almost 4 times this week alone. And it was getting so much worse. She never recalled having such issues when she was younger. And these dreams of hers were getting quite vivid. And she was dreaming of places further, and further away. But, the good news is, when she woke up, she would be back home. Just, hopefully, she makes in into the bed next time. After speaking with Zephyr, she thinks he got vengeful and pushed her out of her room into the cornfield.

At least she got to see places when she was asleep. It was something in a way, she looked forward to going to bed each night. She got to see so much.. One night, she got to see this huge, vast desert, with the winds kissing the sands and sending the landscape into a coppery glitter, the moonlight cascading down upon the clouds. And another day, she was taken out to the oceans, where she got to see the dolphins dance beneath the starry sky. All such beautiful, wonderful things. It was a shame that the real world was nothing like her dreams. Nothing but bland weeds upon endless plains.

And here she was, in another forest which she wasn't familiar with. And she really wasn't familiar with it this time. Last time, she had a shred of knowledge where she was. She could tell by the plants that she was close to home. But here, the moss, the trees, everything was different! She strained to see her world through the cloth, until she realized it was night, and it was best removed. Huh. She wondered why she didn't dream of a day scene for once. Something cracked. And with a grunt, she fell to the ground. Ouch! She had apparently landed in a tree. And now she was on the ground. Her bare feet scratched by the twigs beneath her. Dizzy, she stood up, her hand running through the back of her head, itching confused.

She didn't even acknowledge the mage.. she stepped forward, like a tired child waking from it's nap, her gown gently moved by the wind, her other arm limp, and her head facing torwards the ground. She mumbled something, but it went unheard.. probably talking to herself. As she walked a slight distance from him, she took off the veil on her eyes, rubbing them profusely, and shaking her head, letting her white bangs cover her face. Ugh.. she was so tired... how could you be tired while dreaming?

The figure stood up, and Loki braced himself. Fear was an uncommon emotion with the Mage. He didn't let it cross in features. But he blinked, and a spark of panic could be seen in his eyes. That was, if you paid attention. Loki's whole exterior seemed frozen. The figure began walking toward him slowly, as if in a trance. Loki wondered if he was meeting in first spirit. In all his travels, the Mage had not once met one. What was he supposed to do? Bow? Beg for mercy? Ask what killed them?

But as Loki pondered this, the figure continued moving toward him. And that's when it hit him.

It was a girl. A girl, that was all.

Loki slowly lowered his staff. He planted the heel of his weapon firmly in the ground. He watched her, genuinely curious, as the female stumbled around as if she was lost. Loki put on his most uniform face, placing his hands behind his back. Surely, she would see him. Surely, she would ask him what was going on. The girl must've left the college before nightfall. She must've...fallen asleep out here. But Loki frowned as he reached another problem. From this view, he could tell she was wearing a gown. Had she just chosen to sleep outside tonight? And if so, why was she so groggy?

Loki exhaled through his nose. Was there no logic tonight? No sense? He opened his mouth to tell the student to return to bed, when female walked right past him! It was as if Loki didn't exist. Though, perhaps, she was far to occupied with mumbling to herself. Loki chewed on his lip, watching as the female teetered off...as if she was still sleeping.

Loki groaned. His adventure and quick escape from his college duties would have to wait. A student needing rescued. He turned around to follow the female. Loki hardly believed that when he attended the college, he had been this troublesome. Wandering the forests at night, bah! He needed his sleep for his classes! Loki rolled his eyes. He supposed some went to college for other things besides classes and spells, but Loki did not.

It didn't take long for him to catch up with the girl. He was right behind her, when he grabbed at her wrist, none to gently turning her round to face him. He scrutinized her face, looking for some sense of familiarity. At this distance, he noticed the shower of white hair...and the grey, ghostly eyes. His own eyes darkened to a shade of emerald as he came to a conclusion. He did not know this female. Was she new? Or was Loki just lacking in his duties?

"Are you alright?" the Mage asked quietly. No kindness nor gentleness entered his voice or crossed his features. The Mage was wary. He didn't recognize the girl... "Do you know what's going on? Can you tell me your name?" Perhaps then he could show her to the Deans and asked if they knew her. And if not, why was she in Rutela?

The woman shrugged his arm off, as she scryed the landscape.. her eyes slightly a little more open. Not by much though. She was still quite exhausted, the poor thing, but alas, not even her lack of energy could keep her from moving. She was in a new place. And things looked so different here. Everything was this.. deep shade of green. She turned away from the man for a moment, to look upon one of the many strange trees that grew in this area, her mouth slightly ajar.. carefully climbing on one of the roots, and plucking a leaf from the tree.. holding it in her hand and scrutinizing it, as if it was a valuable source of information..

"So pretty.. so green.. never this green.. Didn't know greens like this existed.."

She stopped for a moment, crawling back down, the leaf in her hand. Wow.. this was just the most beautiful shade of color ever. She wished she could show her mother this shade of green. She would love a dress in this color.. her eyes drifted to the ground, where another brightly colored item crossed her vision. A hibiscus, donning a beautiful crimson red, specked with rosy pinks and lemon chiffon, hung, mangled in a bush. She walked over, once again, not paying attention to the poor guy.. and plucked the flower, bringing it to her face to examine it. It had such a lovely smell, something like a rose, but not quite. Sweeter. And it had this... this twang. This unfamiliar twang. Everything here had this twang. Was Twang even a word? She didn't care. She was enjoying the sensations.

She pushed her bangs out of her face, using one of the flowers to hold the bangs in an ear. She always did this with the lilies at home. She wished she could show her mother these flowers.. these plants. They were all so.. so.. gorgeous, magnificent, full of life and color. This was the best dream ever!.... which reminded her. The guy asked her something didn't he?

She finally turned to him, her head tilted. Why was this wierd person in her dreams? Why do wierd people keep showing up in her dreams? It was her dreams, after all, it's not like they had any business being in them, but it was all up to the dreamer, she supposed. She guessed it was to make things a little more interesting, and give her someone to talk to. Which, was nice. No one listened to her anyways. It was just a shame that she was going to wake up and never see any of these people again.

"I'm.. dreaming.." she said in a dreamlike daze. "I'm Sabien.. what's your name dreamwalker? Or are you another breeze..? You sure don't sound like a breeze.. you feel cold. Smell cold too. You are just coooooooldddd.." she said hissing the word. "But.. That's okay. I'm cold too. Everyone gets cold every once in a while. Just some people are more cold then others. Like Zephyr. Zephyr's really cold. But.. I guess that's his job.." she chittered. She proceeded to chitter on for a few good minutes about virtually random information. It got to a point where she was mumbling, her gaze broken from his, and merely her talking to herself again.

Loki's eyebrows came together as the female shrugged him off. He stared down at him hand, and rubbed his thumb across his fingers. His gaze flickered back to the female. He watched as she clambered on to the roots of a tree so that she could reach the branches. She then plucked a leaf right off one! She brough the leaf to her face and began to stare and observe it. And that's when he heard her mumble about it.

"So pretty.. so green.. never this green.. Didn't know greens like this existed.."

Loki blinked once. Then twice. This girl did not come from the college. He automaticly could tell that. This girl did not belong here. But...how did she even come here then? Loki couldn't figure out how to leave the island. He assumed that leaving and coming were of the same problem. So how did this girl come to be here?

And Loki watched, bemused as the girl descended from the tree roots, still staring at the leaf as if she had never seen anything like it. Well, Loki thought. She hasn't. She was just mumbling about the green-

Loki scowled and shook his head. This wasn't important. The important thing was to find out why the female was here, and how to get her home. She didn't belong here. Loki watched as she picked up a small flower from the ground, and put it in her hair. It was a beautiful thing, the flower. The only thing Loki seemed to be able to get out of the girl, was her respect of beauty. For nature.

And that was when she turned to stare at him, cocking her head slightly to the side. Loki wiped his look of confusion off his face, and regained his composure. But when...when she began talking, the look of confusion appeared on his face once more. It was partnered with bemusment...and amazement. Loki inhaled softly, and slowly began to approach her, approach Sabien, as he spoke. His grip tightened on his staff. He didn't want to scare her. She seemed so...so fragile in his eyes. She thought she was dreaming...she wasn't. Loki was afraid that if he 'woke' her up to fast...she would show she wasn't as fragile as she seemed. So Loki braced himself for anything. He never had to deal with a delicate situation such as this.

"Sabien," he began softly. "You're not dreaming. And I am not a dreamwalker. My name is Loki. And...I'm not a breeze. I'm a Mage. Your on the land of the Scholars of Kateria College. I'm not sure what ailment you are suffering from, but...you are not dreaming."

Loki froze as she mentioned his coldness. A trickle of terror ran down his spine. Was it possible? Was it possible that, knowing nothing about him, she knew his power? Could she sense it? Or maybe...was she just sensing his exterior? Loki knew he came off as a harsh man sometimes...but that was only when he was in a foul mood. But, if she was sensing his power...

Amazing. It was amazing. Yet, depressing as well. He liked to keep his powers to himself. He would tell people he was a Mage, but he would keep his tricks to himself. And then, he would use them to his advantage. And what did Sabien mean, by that she was cold too? And who was Zephyr? And why was it his job to be cold?

"Sabien," Loki murmured. "Please, listen to me. Something's wrong. You're...not well. I need to take you to the college. They can help you. They can explain to you what's going on, if you don't believe me." Maybe Sabien had hit her head or something. Maybe, with a bit of tests, someone could help her.

But inwardly, Loki knew it was no good. Here he was, in the middle of the night, in the forest. A girl appears out of nowhere. Starts mumbling about trees. Says she's dreaming. Asks if he's a breeze, and tells him he's cold.

"Scholars of Kateria College?" she repeated.. her gaze snapping back to him.

She blinked.. remaining quiet for a brief moment. The silence seemed to engulf them.. the animals.. even the breeze not emitting a sound. The eerie sense of nothingness permeated from the woman.. who seemed to be holding her breath in thought.. the eyes not wavering for a brief moment. And as the silence continued, it seemed as if for a moment, time itself had stopped.

She wasn't dreaming? It would have explained so much. Would explain why she felt pain in her dreams. Would explain why she was cold. Or why people freak out when they saw her. But how did she get out here? She simply didn't just fly out here. That was silly, and impossible. The winds liked her yes, but not THAT much to fly her anywhere on a whim's notice. That's crazy. Besides, how could she be awake? When she falls back asleep, she's going to end up back home anyways. She always did, without fail. So.. probably, this man in her dream was crazy. Trying to tell her she wasn't dreaming. BLASPHEMY.

"I'm fine! And I'm dreaming. I know I'm dreaming. Because when I go back to sleep.. I'm going to wake up back in my bed again. Or the cornfield. Zephyr is a mean wind. He pushes me out of my bed sometimes.." she rambled.

"He's also snarky. And nasty. For a northern wind, who brings pretty white snow, you think he'd be nicer, but NO. He's always mean. Always. I can't imagine why. Euros brings storms every time I see him, and he's always nice and pleasant. So why he's so mean I don't get it.. I think it's because he brings winter. Maybe that's what makes him so cold." she chittered.

"Why are you so cold? I can't pin why, but you're cold." she mumbled. "You should warm yourself up a bit. You're colder then me. And I'm pretty cold. Look at me. I'm nearly white." she whispered. "Like SNOW. I can't wait for winter to come again, even if Zephyr's going to be a meanie.." she inhaled.

"There's nothing wrong with me Lookiii.. Loki. Loki. Loki. Loooooahhh keeeeyyyy.." she said, playfully toying with his name. It was terribly fun to say. She could make a game of it. And she did for a few minutes, until she realized the expression on the male's face changed. "Just.. let me go back to sleep. Then, I'll wake up!" she said, making a gesture with her arms. She turned away from him, looking at all of the foliage, and the trees, stroking a bit of moss. "This place is so different. I never thought I could dream such a different place.." she whispered to herself.

Yes. The College. Loki nodded quickly. Maybe she would gain some sense. Maybe she wasn't crazy. Maybe the girl was just tired. Extremely extremely tired. Maybe the more he tried to get her to talk, the more she'd wake up. But Loki's hopes were short lived. Sabien began talking again. This time, she spoke of how she had to be dreaming, because she'd wake up and end up in her bed. Or in a cornfield. And then Zephyr came up again. Sabien spouted nonsense about how mean he was. He pushed her out of bed.

"Wait, wait, wait." Loki said slowly. He spoke to himself mostly now. The cogs could almost be seen turning in his brain."Zephyr's a wind? You mean...you talk to the wind?" But Loki would get no answer. Sabien was already talking more about Zephyr. And Loki was...fascinated by it.

Loki had always been a man who figured he could find out everything, by pure simple logic. No tools, no tongue twisters. There was always a simple solution right on the tip of your tongue. It was always people like this, people like Sabien, that threw him off. He was so utterly confused, yet so utterly fascinated by her words...

She began speaking of another wind, named Eros. He was a bringer of storms...but nicer than Zephyr. Loki tried his hardest to understand, but the latch he needed to hold on to the subject, he seemed to be missing. All Loki could do was stand there, slack-jawed, not entirely sure what to do. Sabien claimed that maybe it was because Zephyr brought snow. Maybe that was why he was so cold.

They were back on that subject again. Why he was so cold. Loki's face turned to stone. Something about this girl wasn't right. But they way she said that he was colder than her....Loki tried to keep his curiosity in check. This was something he had never experienced before. No one ever came up to him and told him he was cold. No one ever tried to pin a reason on him why he was cold. Loki was left to brood on the subject, while Sabien's thoughts returned to Zephyr and winter.

But Loki actually snorted when Sabien claimed that there was nothing wrong with her. Oh yes, nothing at all. She was just bouncing off the walls about the winds for no reason. She spoke like, like the winds were friends with her. Like they knew her, and she knew them. However, Loki's sarcastic humor was short-lived as Sabien began playing with his name as a small child might play with a doll. He raised his eyebrows at her. Sabien seemed content in continuing with her game. Well, that was until she saw his expression and went silent for a moment. But just for a moment.

"Just.. let me go back to sleep. Then, I'll wake up!"

And before Loki could say a single thing, Sabien was back to touching the trees and the moss and mumbling to herself.

Loki sighed through his nose. What a way to spend a night. Instead of adventuring across new terrain...he was here. In the forest. With this...this girl, who was certain she was dreaming. Loki knew what he needed to do. He needed to take this girl to the college. He needed to have her settle down. Get her to realize that he and this land were very real. And if that didn't work, Loki would deem her crazy, and take her to some higher Professors to deal with her, and return her home.

But...if he took her to the college...he would have explaining to do. Where did she come from? How did she get here? Loki wouldn't be able to answer those questions. And Sabien wouldn't know, because she was "dreaming". Questions without answers...it would be suspicious... Loki couldn't take her to the college. He couldn't get her back home. All the girl wanted to do was dream and sleep. Was that so bad? Maybe...if she did fall back asleep, she would go home. There would be no questions then.

Loki's gaze flickered back up to Sabien as she examined the tree. His eyebrows came together, and he spoke quietly.

"I see that you like nature." he nodded, glancing at the flower in her hair. "All kinds of it. I'm not sure where you're from, but I can say that Rutela does have a special kind of nature. Then again, I lived in Whitewood for twenty years of my life. There was hardly any tree there but evergreens. They get quite boring after a while. The trees here have a sort of richness to them. An unknown beauty. Some say they're just trees. Just boring trees. They say the plants here get their beauty from the Mages that live here. Some say that the Mages are so vain, that they transform their own landscape to make it more beautiful. This...includes the trees. We do have a few students here that are interested in plant life...but I don't believe it. I don't believe that someone here would dare use their magic to alter something so beautiful already." Loki bit down on his lip, and smiled at Sabien. The smile did not reach his eyes.

Loki tugged his staff up from the ground. He stepped back from the tree into the center of the small clearing where they now stood. He grasped his staff in both hands. He gave Sabien a quick smile, showing his teeth. The smile had a devious feel, filled wth many mixed emotions. And for half a second, if you looked at Loki at the right angle, his eyes appeared...red?

Loki flipped his staff, and shoved the pointed tip into the ground, sliding to his knees as he did so. His head faced toward the ground, his hair hiding his expression. For a moment, it seemed as if nothing had happened. And then, from the hole Loki's staff had made, came ice. Bright, silvery white, yet cold blue, ice. It slithered out from the dirt like a snake from all sides. It continued to grow, like fingers extending from a hand, reaching for the roots of the trees. But before it could touch the trees, Loki stood, removing his weapon from the dirt. The ice stopped, and remained still. The frozen tendrils seemed to extend from Loki itself as he planted the butt of his staff into the ground.

"That," he murmured quietly. "Is why I'm cold." his expression was hard and emotionless. A small tinge of blue hung on his skin. Loki sighed, and turned to face Sabien. "I'm a Thaumaturge. Ice Mage. Warming myself up won't help me, but thank you for the advice anyways." he shook his head slowly and sat down on the roots of one tree, staring at the enormous icicles that now layered the ground.

"What about you?" he asked Sabien. "You said you were cold...what do you mean about yourself?"

"There is so much color! So many trees! I mean, there are trees where I live.. but you know, they're kinda boring. They got that gold tint that the rest of the plains and the weeds and the shrubs have. And, it looks nice and all.. but.. it's so.. dull. Lifeless. Like everything wants to be the same. I don't understand that. Nature can be so big and beautiful, and then.. it goes and shrinks itself and makes itself boring. But I think that's just an Ardrian thing." she said. 'Everything there is boring. Nothing but farms and farms and MORE FARMS." she said. "And grass. Lot's o that too."

She turned to face the mage, catching his smile, and smiled back, a large, beaming smile, one filled with genuine happiness. Habit, for the white witch. If someone offered you an ounce of kindness, you might as well return it! The world was such a brighter place with a smile. She wished people smiled as often as she did, maybe then, people wouldn't be so sad. A smile did miracles for people, she saw it all the time, when she smiles at her mother, when she's sad. When she smiled at the shaman, even he had to revel in the small brief happy moment. Smiles were just a great a medicine as laughter. And this guy sure needed some!

She plopped back down, sitting on the roots of the tree, swinging her legs beneath her, avidly listening to the man. She looked like a child, observing the adult, trying to absorb as much knowledge as she possibly could. But what the mage did next simply just blew her little mind, as far out of the water as possible.

Her eyes grew as wide as dishplates, her mouth slightly falling ajar as he casted a spell. Her eyes slightly glimmered in the presence of magic, the white glow shining just a tad bit brighter then usual, the reflection of the ice glittering in her grey pupils. She gasped, completely, and utterly amazed. When he was done with his amazing feat.. Sabien just HAD to run down and touch it, she couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. She knelt before the ice, placing one hand on the tip of an icicle, and running her finger down the glassy surface, the sheer astonishment just, amazing her.

"It's such a shame that this is a dream. This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!" she whispered. She studied his handiwork for a few more moments, talking as she did.. "I never seen magic before. Never. I met a shaman who saw the wind too, but.. he couldn't talk to it. Not the way I can. It sounded.. like.. gibbers. Whispers. Like, I dunno.. like he could see them, and know they're there, but he was deaf to them." she chittered. "And Grandma said that a great, great, great grandfather of ours was a mage. She thinks I'm a mage too. But I think she's crazy. Mages don't run in our family. We're just farmers. We've been farmers for generations. She's probably just making the stuff up to make me feel better. Plus, she's a little crazy too. Like.." And she proceeded to make a swirly gesture above her forehead.

Oh the irony.

"But at least she thinks nice things of me. Everyone else.. doesn't think so. They think I'm some sort of demon. That brings STORMS. Isn't that crazy? I mean, I know I talk to the wind and stuff but I don't bring storms. They do. But they don't listen to me.. they are convinced I am a witch. I don't think I'm a witch.. witches are mean. And they can do magic. I'm not mean.. and I definitely can't make magic" she chittered. She then proceeded to chitter on about how many times the town had almost killed her thinking she was a witch and how many times she had to run or prove them wrong.

He brought up the question about being cold. And she stopped. Huh, how do you explain to someone that you're just.. naturally cold? It wasn't her fault. She's been naturally cold since birth. She figured that ailments when she was younger made her that way. But perhaps, she could show him! She stood up, walking to the man, she tilted her head, and placed a hand on his face.. the pale, icy touch against his. Burr... he was reallly cold! She shivered for a moment, but persisted, trying to convey the point. For a woman of her age, she was indeed, very cold. Touching her was like touching frozen clay, or glass. Smooth, with a tint of frost. It was a no wonder why people believed her to be a spirit.

After noticing him squirm under her touch, she pulled away. "See? I'm cold aren't I?" she nodded. The thought that she had just completely popped his personal bubble completely escaped her. And she chuckled, and turned away to play with the ice.

But.. after a while, she had gotten bored, and idly traced a finger on one of the icy stalagites before her. He was so kind enough to show her this. She should show him something! Besides, she was dreaming, it was not like anyone would know. She would just wake up, and then she'd go back to living her small little farmlife in solitude.. being deemed crazy and dangerous and all that yucky stuff. So, she might as well be proud of what she could do, if only for a moment.

"I can do something! It creeps my brother out all the time. You wanna see it?" she asked.

"Farms arn't that bad." Loki said softly. Then, he thought about it for a moment and said. "Well, I take that back. I'm not sure. I've never really been on a farm. I mean...you say you're from Ardrian? I've passed through Ardrian before. But I don't think I remember much about the farms." Loki thought about it for a moment. "Well, I suppose the same basis of your words can be found in my memory of Whitewood. You say farms are boring, because you were surrounded by them. I found Whitewood boring, because I was constantly surrounded by it's features. Fluffy, white snow. Then ice and hail. Then more snow, though perhaps less fluffy." Loki then abruptly closed his mouth. He was rambling. It was bad to get Loki on a subject he found interesting. He would continue on and on with the subject without a push.

Loki's eyes widened at Sabien's reaction to the ice. He really just stared at her, as she ran down to touch his handiwork that now covered then ground. His ice.

"It's such a shame that this is a dream. This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!"

Loki smirked, shaking his head. He listened intently as Sabien spoke. His light smile at her words began to fade after a few sentences. It was instead replaced with Loki's thoughtful face. He strained to catch everything Sabien said, as she chattered on like a bird. So, she had met a Shaman who saw the wind. Just like her. But he couldn't talk to it? Not like her...Wait, so was Sabien being serious? Did the wind...really talk to her? And her grandmother thought she was a Mage, but Sabien didn't think so, oh no. Sabien thought her grandmother was crazy.

That got him.

Loki chuckled. It was a low, bass thing, coming from the back of his throat. But it was smooth. Effortless. Easy. Laughter didn't come to Loki often. There just wasn't much here at this stupid college that was actually...funny. And if there was something funny, like a student that managed to catch themselves on fire or freeze their best friend, you weren't supposed to laugh. You were supposed to keep a boring, neutral face, and help them. And what was the point in that? If you didn't laugh at them, the student wouldn't know what societies reactions would be to sub situations. If you helped them, the student would never learn how to fix it himself if it happened again.

But Loki shut himself up, his attention back on Sabien. So, locals thought she brought storms? Impossible. Even a weather Mage couldn't do that. Small storms yes, but storms that attracted the attention of neighbors? No. No, Sabien was right. The winds brought storms. But society still called her a witch. But...Sabien didn't believe in that. Witches were mean, and did magic. Loki smiled weakly. His colleagues called him a witch. "The Green-Eyed Witch" to be exact. They said his cunning and manipulative style earned him the name. But back on the subject, yes, a witch did magic. Which of course, Sabien didn't. Right. Loki bit down hard on his lip. It was all to...odd to be a coincidence. A girl shows up here, thinks she's dreaming, can talk to winds...or Atleast she says she does. But Loki wasn't so sure anymore. The way she talked about them, and also, about the shaman. Loki was pretty sure she wasn't lying to him...so was it possible that she actually did talk to the winds?

Loki's thoughts were interrupted (That kept happening tonight for some reason...) when Sabien began to walk toward him, tilting her head slightly to the side. Before he could question her however, she had placed a hand on his cheek.

Loki's insides froze. His breath hitched, now escaping his lips in small hisses of air rather than a normal exhale. He wasn't sure what exactly he was most surprised about. The fact that she was touching him, or the fact that she was...cold. She was being literal! Her skin was actually...cold! On any other occasion of a stranger touching his face, he would've lost his head completely. Loki knew it. The person would be frozen in an instant. Or, he would take that dagger up his sleeve and put it to good use. Loki wasn't a touchy person...alright, so the few women he had invited into his chambers didn't count. No one touched him. No one put their hands on him without being reprimanded. But he couldn't get mad at this girl. He couldn't reprimand Sabien, because she was getting her point across. Loki was so used to the fact that when his skin brushed against others, their skin was...hot. It was normal to him, to be around others who felt, to him, as if they were on fire. But Sabien...their temperature couldn't be a few degrees difference. How had he not noticed it when he grabbed her wrist? He was too preoccupied with getting a student back in bed. Loki inhaled sharply, and shivered. Huh. No one ever made him shiver. That was new.

Sabien removed her hand. Loki replied to her statement; though perhaps it was left to be unanswered. "Yes." he whispered. "You are very cold..." he watched her as she went back to play with the ice. Loki just sat there, watching. She had confirmed it. Something wasn't normal with this girl. She might not be a Mage, but she did have magical qualities. Her temperature said that, along with the winds. He smirked, understanding now why the locals believed she was a demon. She was magical. She had potential. Was she a full Mage? Loki couldn't be sure. There was something far too special with this girl to be left unnoticed. So, when Sabien asked if he wanted to see something she could do, Loki replied;

"Of course! Please show me! I'd love to see anything you could do! Now that I have shown off, it is only far that you get a chance to as well!" Loki said, a hunt of eagerness in his voice.

"Okay.. but.. if nothing happens, don't freak out okay?.. I never really did this in a dream before.." she whispered.

She turned away from him, looking torwards the vast forest which she had dreamed. It was quite hard to believe that she was dreaming all of this! Who knew that the human mind could hold the capacity for so much detail and bewilderment? No doubt, this sort of state must be increasingly hard to accomplish, for even the best dreamwalkers. She bet they never had dreams as vivid as hers were! She kicked the ground underneath her feet. It was.. odd.. but, she was nervous. Because, what if the winds didn't come? She wasn't crazy, she knew she wasn't crazy.. the winds DO exist, they're like.. presences, in the air. But.. sometimes they were not around. Or refused to speak with her. Meddling with a human was beyond them.

She wasn't sure how this would turn out, but, she promised she'd show him, and she would. She took a soft breath, and perhaps the wierdest noise ever emitted from a human escaped her mouth, echoing throughout the forest. It was inhuman, the noise resembling something of chimes and bells, all clanging against each other in various 'syllables' and chords. It started off slow, rackety, and somewhat annoying, but as she grew much more confident with herself, the noises started to mellow out, into an eerie symphony, one that sent the entire forest to silence, with nothing more then the descending remains of the ethrealic noise..

And she fell silent, as did the land around her.

And nothing happened.

Sabien impatiently tapped a foot. Usually she got a response pretty quickly, anything from a small breeze to a wild gust. But nope. Nothing. And so, an awkward silence grew between her and Loki. She was slightly alarmed. She wasn't crazy! She wasn't! But at that moment, the winds were out to prove her wrong again.. was she really crazy?

To try and fill the void.. Sabien started to speak of Whitewood.

"Whitewood sounds like a beautiful place. But, that's because I like snow.. you know? It's.. cold, like me, and it's wet, and it fills the air with.. this.. I dunno. Just something, I can't describe it. I always feel wonderful in winter, I can play all day in the snow and not get sick, and there's just this stuff in the air that makes it easy for me to do things. Same thing happens when it rains. I can't describe why. I wish it was winter every day in Ardrian. I hate summer.. I get sick all the time, and the air is so dry and stagnant.." she murmurred under her breath.

"I'll tell you a secret if you promise NEVER to tell my mother. She would KILL me if she knew.." she said, looking back at him, her eyes filled wide with worry.. After getting a nod of agreement, she looked back to the empty vast of the forest.

"The winds.. they.. they're not like talking to a human. Not quite. They don't speak. They pick up things that other people say, and they carry it with them. To most people.. it just sounds like whirled garble. But to me, well.. I kinda hear them clearly. Sometimes it takes me a minute to sort out all they picked up, but.. through what they pick up, they.. I dunno, 'talk'. They specially pick happy experiences when they're happy to show me. Or angry ones when they're mad.. But.. they like new things.."

"To make a wind REALLY happy.. you gotta give it something new. Winds like change. They like 'new'. They like trying things they never tried before. They like hearing things they never heard before. They like feeling things they never heard before..." she fell silent for a moment..

"I used to love winter very much.. but.. the thing about Ardrian, is that snow is very rare in Ardrian.. it's just too hot.. or something. But it did happen... and.. I know it' s mean and selfish.. but.. whenever Zephyr would come to my town in the winter.. I would break into my dowry box, and take out some of the necklaces that my mom had set aside for my marriage.. I wasn't getting married anyways.." she said loftily. She wasn't stupid. She could own a castle, and only the legally insane would marry her. "And.. Zephyr likes sapphires. Remember that." She held her breath for a moment. "And, I'd take the gems out, usually sapphire, and I'd grind it up to a really fine powder.. and I'd throw it into Zephyr.. to.. kinda coax him to bring snow.. Which perked him up right quick.. and in a couple of weeks, it'd snow.." she said with a soft smile. "He may be a meanie, but he holds his word."

And for a moment, a very strong silence grew. In a way.. Sabien had just confessed that she may have had a part in the weather misfortunes of Ardrian. She also probably broke several rules by Mage's standards, without thinking. And she confirmed the locals beliefs that she did have some influence with the weather. And while Sabien really didn't play a major part in most of the weather happenings of the area.. it made you wonder what parts she DID play in.

But she was dreaming! So why did it matter? No one would ever know..

Sabien looked to the ground. She felt like she told him something she shouldn't have told him. She never told anyone about what she did to bring snow to her little farm. And now she felt naked.

And then something happened..

God bless the poor girl's soul.. she had never encountered island winds before. And the thing about island winds, was that they were energetic, happy, hyperactive little breezes. They tore the coasts of the islands and carried sand from one end of the earth to the other.. and they were, indeed, terribly strong. The wind started to rustle for a brief moment at first, and Sabien perked up.. did it really work?

And SLAM, like a hurricane gust, the wind tore through the forest, slamming right into the woman. It poked at her for a moment, before eventually blowing right though her, nearly picking her off the ground, and budging her a few feet backwards. She giggled for a moment, trying to keep her gown down as the wind rippled around her. She had NEVER had this much success with the wind. Whether it'd be because of location, or the natural behavior of this wind, she didn't know. As it circled her, she giggled, and stepped backwards a bit, becoming somewhat disoriented. The wind that had greeted her today hadn't spoken to a soul in years. And while the weather mages had some degree of influence with the winds, they couldn't SPEAK to the wind.. and the wind was 'chittering' non-stop with the girl. So much information going into her head at once.. so many conversations.. songs.. so many textures..

She looked like she was going to pass out, and she screeched in her windspeak, before backing out of the circulation of wind quietly scolding, her hands on her head.. "Stop... stop! I can't.. think.. Too much.. slow down.." For a moment, the wind stopped, seemingly offended, as it whirled around the two for a brief moment. But then it seemingly happily lashed a few more times around the forest and slammed into the girl again, breezing past her, and circling once more.. She giggled. "It's name is Las Nuva." she said. "It's very happy. It said no one ever talks to her.. you want to ask any questions?"

*Oh dear god this post turned out massively longer then intended. I'm sorry, you dont have to match this.*